Guest Artist Bio
Portland Symphonic Choir
Portland Symphonic Choir is Portland's oldest and largest independent choral organization. Its mission is "to sing the great works of choral music with excellence and passion." Established in 1945, the Portland Symphonic Choir is currently directed by Dr. Steven Zopfi. The Choir presents its own concert series each year in addition to regular performances with the Oregon Symphony.
The choir has an impressive inter-national reputation because of regular tours to Europe and Australia, as well as appearances in the Northwest and the United States. Most recently the choir sang Mozart's Requiem at the Jablonec Music Festival in the Czech Republic and at the famed Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague. The Choir has appeared at the Cascade Festival of Music in Bend, as guests of the Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Youth Philharmonic and the Boston Pops, and at the national convention of the American Choral Directors Association in San Antonio, Texas.
Membership in the Portland Symphon-ic Choir is based upon stringent auditions in which current and prospective members must demonstrate comprehensive vocal abilities and proficiency in sight singing. Singers selected for membership in the volunteer ensemble come from all walks of life throughout the Portland-Vancouver region.
The Portland Symphonic Choir is committed to promoting excellence in the tradition of choral music through education and service to the community. In late '80s and early '90s, the Choir inaugurated the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir and the Portland Symphonic Boychoir. Now independent organizations, the two groups provide choral experience for over 200 youths in the region. In the summer of 2005, the Choir began a new tradition of Summer Sings! Each summer, singers are invited to sing along with the Symphonic Choir as it reads through some of the great choral works – just for fun!
Portland Symphonic Choir also commissions and premieres choral works of Northwest and nationally known composers. It has had the privilege of performing music by such notable artists as Jacob Avshalomov, Morten Lauridsen, Tomas Svoboda and Bryan Johanson. Several of its recent concerts have celebrated American music and its rich history of song.